Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-11-11


front parlor, which no longer pretended
to be a drawing groom Here Lavinia Med
lock carried on, but in u small way the
business of wise woman, adviser, aud In
terpreter of the Intelligences In this
country il a woman lives in back street
and tells fortunes by cards, the police run
her in, and the magistrate gives her two
months, and her house is broken up, and
her children are ruined for life, and she
goes to the workhouse, and foretell5 mis-.
| fortunes to the other collegans, for even
in the workhonse there are still fresh mis-
fortunes to encounter IN the shape of
aches and pains, aud twists and tortures
before the chaplain finally puts on his sur
| plice to do them honor by walking before
them IN short procession. Which shows
| how determined we are to suffer no witch
to live in the land. But if a woman lives
| III respectable house, and calls herself a
| medium and the chosen Coutidaute of the
spirits who dwell in the OF her world, she
may do whatever she please without fear
of police or magistrate Which shows
that we know how to distinguish.
! Spirits are well known to choose for
favourite resorts, places and chambers
which appear little desirable to cultivated
men. 1t is no business of ours. This
room, for instance, was very shabby and
|
gone on in 1.-THE seances, manifestations,
leyitations, table turnings, rappings, mes
sages, counsels, oracleS, letters, verses
incarnatlons, spirit photographs, spirit
songs, spirit humors, spirit hands, spirit
kisses, spirit pinches, spirit tweakings-
wonderful to think of. And the room
was just the same as it was before the
spirits came at all, while her husband was
still a clerk on hundred and twenty
pounds year, and they let the first and
second floor to pay the rent and taxes, and
anything else they could get The same
chairs with black horsehair seats, the old
black sofa, the same old red paper. now
faded and patched with other cOlors laid
on by Time, who is a painter as well as Il
destroyer, and the same cupboard beside
the treplace-He tty's heart sank every
morning at sight of 1.-THE same great
cupboard filed with stores of groceries
and food. People who live in one room
generally keep their tea, sugal, coffee,
jam, cakes, pies, bacon, ham, butter,
bread, and wine--only there never is any
wine-in the big cupboard beside the fire
place: Last year | paid visit to the
| Marshalsea Prison and saw how Mr.. Dor
rit and his companions lived. In every
room there were great cupboards beside
the fireplace for the reception of household
stores, fact which throws Il flood of light
upon the Imprisonment of debtors, And
as it was III the Marshalsea Prison, so it
> = IL,
except that there was no bed in it.
Mrs. Medlock sat in her professional
chair at her professional table. She was
exercising her profession. She was an
swerlng questions, solving difficulties. and
consulting the spirits former clients. Even
in consulting the spirits there is q fashion.
Many of them who once came to consult
them regularly had gone Off in other di-
rectlunS. They are now faith healers, cap
talns in the salvation Army, believers in
the ten tribes, astrologers, votaries of
palmlstry, not to speak of Esoteric Bud
dhists. somehow or other they get the
same excitement, though in different
ways, But they consult the spirit DC
longer. 1t is only in New York that the
spirits are still consulted in the pi tactical
conduct OF life.
This morning. however, Layinia Med
lock had two visitors.
The first was an elderly lady richly
/, dressed, who came in her carriage. Sh,
came once week regularly, and used the
spirits as way of getting secret tips as tC
Stocks. She came in her own carriage
she was On, elk and imperious in ner man
ner, and her eyes were exactly ike small
bright beads.
well, Lavinia," she said, sitting down
I'm very we'll satisfied on the whole witt
the last weeks work. The spirits were
right for once"
"You know them too WELL" replied
the Medium, humbly, ITO expect them tC
be always right. "
= after the awful losses they've caused
me, certainly do, Lavinia. Not that
blame you for 1t, you poor thing YOU
can't help it, though sometimes | think
there must be something wrong about
your life or your though t., or something
More Holiness, Lavinia, more personal
holiness, now, might attract better class
: OF spirits. Can'tyou try for more holmes:
early celebration, say-or a hair shirt
or something Your usefulness-and YOU
income-might be trebled."
Lavinia shook her head.
well, never mind-now listen" She
took a pocket book out Of ner bag and eX
tract d a paper. Now, get an answer tc
all these questions"
This lady, in fact, spent her whole lif,
, and gave her whole thoughts to specula
, tons on the Stock Exchange. She was
suspicious person, and mistrusted her bro
,, ker, and as she had no knowledge of he
own she turned for help to the spirits.
Presently, after the usual business, a NJ
, having got her answers, she gathered III
: her bag and pocket book and mutf, ano
rose to go.
"Lavinia" she said think of what
said. More personal holiness, my dear"
, Half an hour later she had second Wis
itor. This time it was her old friend, Mr.
| James Berry. He was a little spare OLE
| grow older and shrink. His head wa
Oruamented with thick crop of gre,
hair, and a couple of white and shagg,
eyebrows. When Mr.. James Berry begal
e to consult Lavinia, thirty years before
q that grey hair was black. Otherwise
Il there was no change in him at all, eithe
f in dress or manner. AS for the latter i
k was slow and precise. He was certainl
[ a methodical unexpectedly something
n in the city, Lavinia did not know wha
o. his profession might be. His convictions
n based on certain startling replies to ques
s tons proposed, We're now unbelievable il
l., spite of many rubs, and although tn
# spirits sometimes treated him with MOI
d tifying neglect and even mendacity.
q all times of difficulty and doubt. whe
most men find out the wisest course b
examination welghty argument, reaso
IS and wakeful thought, Mr.. James Berr
d cast himself upon the spirits. That h
d was now, at siXty-five years of age, re
d tired from active work, his savings a
D. in ,ested in shares of the Company i
whose service he had been employed fo
fifty years, these shares producing iiftee
\. per cent on their first price was ackow